New bargain deals to eat out this spring have been sourced by voucher codes site DiscountVouchers.co.uk to help UK consumers save. The website, which offers consumers deals for more than 800 stores and retailers, has this week published new deals for eating out more affordably at La Tasca, Pizza Express and Toby Carvery.

One of the UK’s favourite Italian diners is Pizza Express and that chain is on show in the new DiscountVouchers.co.uk deals. Pizza Express is popular with both families and couples and thanks to the latest DiscountVouchers.co.uk Pizza Express voucher choices Brits can get themselves 3 courses for £12.95 and 25% Off Your Food Bill.

All the most popular restaurants and retailers regularly feature on the DiscountVouchers.co.uk site, and a top Spanish restaurant is on show at present in the shape of La Tasca. By logging onto the DiscountVouchers.co.uk site right now consumers can help themselves to new La Tasca vouchers which can be exchanged for Buy 1 Get 1 FREE on Tapas to share.

Top quality family roasts are available in the new deals in the shape of offers redeemable at popular UK chain Toby Carvery. This spring sees the DiscountVouchers.co.uk website offering diners new Toby Carvery vouchers which they can use to get 2 Daytime Carveries for £10 and Free Dairy Ice Cream with any Carvery Meal.

Doug Scott, managing director of DiscountVouchers.co.uk, commented, “The spring time is always a popular time to dine out and through these new deals we have made available consumers can enjoy top restaurants on a budget. Toby Carvery, Pizza Express and La Tasca are great places to dine out this April and May.”

Forget cigarettes, alcohol and even drugs, there is a new addiction sweeping the nation – snackoholism. We were brought up being told not to eat between meals but now it seems that we literally cannot help ourselves, we have become a nation of snackoholics with 4% of Brits actually admitting to being addicted to snacking and finding it impossible to quit.

No sex please, we’re peckish A survey by home delivery diet, Diet Chef, has uncovered some shocking truths about British snacking behaviour – not least that more than one in ten of us (12%) would rather snack than have sex. It seems our need to snack is taking over our lives as 6% of us even admit to snacking in bed pointing to the fact that for some Brits, romance really is dead.

A third of us (34%) would rather give up alcohol than snacks and 13% of smokers said they’d rather kick their nicotine habit than give up their chocolate, biscuits and crisps.

As a nation, the number of snacks we are consuming has reached colossal proportions. Our snack of choice is crisps, 61% of Brits admit to eating at least one packet of crisps per day – some as many as five or six packets a day – this equates to a staggering 48 million+ packets of crisps being consumed every day by the adult population of the UK. Add to this 45 million+ chocolate bars and the 78m biscuits and cakes we eat every day and it is no wonder we have an obesity crisis on our hands.

One in 10 of the people surveyed have either a burger, a pizza or a portion of chips as a snack every day showing we no longer understand the difference between a snack and an actual meal. Yet only 14% of the people surveyed knew how many calories something as basic as an average portion of chips contained.

Diet Chef’s nutritionist, Caron Leckie, comments: “Our survey shows the extent to which snacking has got out of control, most of the people we surveyed said they snack out of habit or boredom which shows people are eating without thinking, not out of necessity. The Diet Chef programme provides all your meals and one snack per day and controls your calorie intake so you are guaranteed to lose weight.”

Caron’s 10 steps to avoiding snacking:

It can be difficult to curb or change snacking habits as there are many different components involved – sometimes we snack out of hunger, boredom, cravings or just pure habit. Identifying our snacking ways and preparing ourselves is the first step to snacking success. As the saying goes failure to prepare is preparing to fail.

1. Identify what – whether you want to cut down on or cut out your snacks you need to know truly what you are snacking on – it’s actually quite common to snack without even realising what or how much we are having. Keeping a food diary can help you identify your snacking reality, and using a BMI calculator can help to ensure you know how many calories you need to be consuming each day.

2. Identify where – once you know what your snacks are, you need to consider where you are most likely to snack. Is it in the office? Passing the vending machine? Or at home? When you know where you snack you can focus your efforts on clearing out your snack drawer in the office or the snack cupboard at home.

3. Identify when – then think about when you are most likely to get the urge for something – at night in front of the TV? Late afternoon? Or it might be emotionally related – whenever you’re stressed, lonely, bored or feeling down. Knowing when you snack gives an indication of what may trigger your snacks – is it mid-morning? Are you having a sensible breakfast? Is it when you’ve had a bad day? Your snacks may be more emotion-related than hunger or boredom – when you’ve sussed out your snacking patterns, you’re ready to confront them.

4. Find a healthier alternative – there are always alternatives, if you are craving chocolate try a low calorie chocolate drink or instead of crisps try some popcorn – a healthier option means although you are snacking, it’s guilt-free.

5. Distract yourself – occupy your mind with other things – go for a walk, phone a friend, cleaning/ironing, read a book, take a bath, paint your nails – try a few things and see what takes your mind of those snacks.

6. Avoid tricky situations – prevention is better than cure so if you are tempted at lunchtime when you go to the shop, remove the need to go to the shop with a packed-lunch, take everything into work with you. If you associate having a biscuit with a cup of tea or coffee, cut back on the amounts you are having.

7. Cut the portions – if avoiding the situation doesn’t help you can make anything instantly healthier by cutting the portions – this way you get a little of what you fancy, just in a smaller package. Understanding portion sizes is an essential part of losing weight and maintaining your ideal weight.

8. Fill up on fruit and veg – we should be aiming for at least 5 a day so if you feel yourself reaching for a snack, try make it fruits or vegetables packed with nutrients and this will keep your hands and belly full till mealtime.

9. Make small changes – sometimes trying to tackle everything at once can mean we end up with too much on our plate (literally). If you snack in the morning and evening – pick one to start with, or if you like both chocolate and crisps – again just pick one. If you deprive yourself of everything that you like and is habitual, it’s much harder and likely to end in a cycle of deprivation and bingeing.

10. Don’t forget drinks – cutting your snacking is typically aimed at cutting some calories so don’t forget drinks will count too. Whether it’s a fizzy drink, orange juice or the mid-morning caramel latte – they add up so choose a healthier alternative like green tea or water helping to cut your calories and also keep you hydrated as thirst can often be mistaken for hunger leading you to snack.

One of the best kitchen appliance stores in the United Kingdom has launched a site dedicated to cream fridge freezers at CreamFridgeFreezers.org.uk. They boast a dedicated customer service team and a wide selection of styles from which to choose.

Their unheard of selection of products and understanding of what their clients need will keep this company ahead of their game while they attempt to lead with some of the best brands in cream fridge freezers. Their stock comes from around the world and from trusted names. Despite this elite array of products, they are keeping prices down and offering only the best fridge freezers in terms of construction and finish.

John Morrison, the owner, was enthusiastic about the capabilities of his staff, the quality of their customer service and their prices. When it came to the site, he was confident it could deliver, saying, “We try to be different by offering great prices coupled with extensive knowledge and experience in this area.”

At CreamFridgeFreezers.org.uk, there are numerous fridge freezers from which to choose. They have a size and model for every use. There are frost free fridge freezers, water dispensers, American style fridge freezers and more. Not only that, but customers can expect to see new models with new options as they become available. This company is dedicated to having the most modern, useful and even aesthetically pleasing items in stock.

Golden Spoon, the popular Southern California frozen yogurt company, unveiled their hip new website highlighting the chain’s Southern California roots, it’s famous creamy taste, and even the frozen yogurt’s health benefits. “ We’ve only just begun to renew our brand and bring it back to life; the website is a reflection of what is to come,” said Golden Spoon’s CEO Roger Clawson.

Golden Spoon is Southern California’s original frozen yogurt. The look of the new website is simple and fresh, just like their ingredients, with classic Southern California beach images highlighting Golden Spoon’s heritage. It started in 1981 as a remodel of a health food store in Tustin, California, and has grown into a worldwide brand with an extremely loyal following. You can read all about the journey in the “About Us” section on the site.

The website spotlights the healthy attributes of Golden Spoon’s product made with real fruit and real milk , including full nutritional information for both low-fat and non-fat flavors. Another handy feature allows you to compare the nutritional value of Golden Spoon frozen yogurt to other foods such as ice cream, granola bars and smoothies.

The website is also a great place to find out about new flavors and new additions, like thenew eco-friendly yogurt cups, which biodegrade in only 21 days. Along with the new design and eco-friendly cups, Golden Spoon is also introducing a revolutionary new pricing method, one without scales. Most competing frozen yogurt stores provide one over-sized cup for customers to fill with yogurt and toppings, and the cup is priced based on the total weight. You never know what your dessert will cost you until it is too late, and it’s very easy to go over-budget.

Golden Spoon is changing all that with an innovative, industry-first pricing structure they have trademarked as “Weightless Pricing.” Customers pay a single, fixed price for one of three cup sizes, then fill it with as much yogurt and as many toppings as they wish. Three stores, including Irvine, La Costa and Carlsbad, will launch the new store concept on May 12, 2012 with free yogurt all day.

And, if all the flavors and toppings are not enough variety, customers can also choose their service level. Tell a Golden Spoon “concierge” employee what you have in mind, and then relax as they swirl your yogurt and bring it to your table. Or, you can opt for a “hands-on” experience and create your own masterpiece.

“My father, Jeff Barnes, is the founder of Golden Spoon. Since I can remember, the stores have always looked the same,” said Reed Barnes, Golden Spoon’s Director of Training. “As an

owner of two stores, including the original Golden Spoon location in Lake Forest, I love the new direction, the new look and the new store concept. It couldn’t be a better time to be a part of Golden Spoon Franchising.”

The Co-operative Food is flying the flag for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a £10,000 party fund to give community groups and neighbourhoods across the UK the chance to win one of 100 street parties.

The community-based retailer, which has a store in every UK postal area, is backing the royal revelry as it gears up for what is expected to be one of the busiest summers on record with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Euro 2012, Wimbledon and the London Olympics.

The Diamond Jubilee weekend may be two months away, but “Jubilee fever” is already sweeping many parts of the country, with a bumper number of applications for road closures for street parties according to the Local Government Association.

People holding street parties over the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee weekend (2 – 5 June, 2012) can win £100 worth of Co-operative vouchers to put towards the food, together with a party pack full of street party essentials including red, white and blue bunting, balloons, papers cups and plates, and Union Jacks.

Party organisers can enter by visiting Co-operative Food’s Diamond Jubilee Page and saying what’s special about their community and why they’ve decided to host a street party. Judges will be looking for entries that most touch their hearts and are the most community focused. The competition, launched today (12 April 2012), runs until 30 April 2012 inclusive.

Sales soared over last year’s bumper bank holiday for the royal wedding as shoppers made the most of the extended weekend and, with another extended bank holiday break for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, retailers are anticipating a repeat performance as party fever grips the nation.

Moreover, with three major sporting events – Euro 2012, Wimbledon and the London Olympics – in quick succession, retailers are hoping the sales momentum will continue throughout the summer.

The Co-operative is marking the celebrations with a host of new products, including a Teddy Bear Gingerbread Biscuit sporting a Union Jack T-shirt and limited edition doughnuts decorated with red, white and blue sprinkles – both available from 2 May, 2012*.

The community retailer will also be introducing two limited-edition premium own-brand British beers, appropriately named “Jubilation” and “Salutation”, which will be in store from 2 May, 2012**. Jubilation is a pale, diamond-bright beer made with malt from Warminster and Bramling Cross hops from Worcester to create a refreshing taste with a distinctly hopped finish.

Salutation is a classic British bitter, and the careful addition of two historic hop varieties – Goldings and Fuggles – creates a darkly-delicious beer with a satisfying bitterness. Both of the beers, which are part of The Co-operative Truly Irresistible range, are brewed by hand at the Freeminer brewery in the Royal Forest of Dean.

The Co-operative will also be offering better-than-half price Champagne and half-price Cava***.

Helen Nunn, Head of Marketing for The Co-operative Food, said: “For millions of people, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee is a celebration of everything that’s great about Britain, and street parties are a quintessentially British way to celebrate.

“They are great neighbourhood occasions and, as a retailer at the heart of the communities in which we trade, we’re getting behind the Jubilee celebrations at a local level with a helping hand to make people’s street parties extra special and memorable.”

She added: “This summer is a spectacular season of events, and we’re gearing up to ensure we have everything our customers need to make the most of these unique occasions and celebrate together with family and friends.”